Sport Specific: Rowing - Week 9, Day 1

This is a twelve week sport specific program designed for rowing. The goal of this program is to increase the athlete’s strength and power. It also includes elements of injury prevention. These qualities are pivotal for rowing. They allow for more force to be placed into the footplate. With correct technique this transfers into the oar, thus making the boat travel faster.

The program has been split into three, four-week training blocks. During weeks 1-4, the workouts consist of a hip, glute, and upper body conditioning circuit and a core conditioning circuit. These circuits increase dynamic flexibility, improve squatting mechanics, and also strengthen the athlete for weeks 5-12. The circuits will also become the dynamic warm up and core work for the sessions in weeks 5-12.

Percentages of one-rep max (1RM) are used in the program. It is important to know these before beginning and to retest them every four weeks to make sure you're training at the correct intensity. The percentages and the predicated lifting weight are only a guideline. All lifts should be performed without a breakdown in form, so if this occurs, reduce the weight slightly.

I suggest you perform the sessions in this program after any sports specific training, i.e. ergometer workouts or technique work on the water. This is done in order to keep the strength pathways open, which will allow for maximum adaption to occur.

Week 9, Day 1

A. Hip, Glute, and Upper Body Conditioning Circuit

This circuit should be performed using slow and controlled movements for each exercise. It's not about how many reps you can do in the allocated time for each exercise. Perform each exercise in the circuit for 20 seconds, using a weighted plate for resistance (except for the overhead squat).